Journal article
Building healthcare workers' confidence to work with same-sex parented families
Henry von Doussa, Jennifer Power, Ruth McNair, Rhonda Brown, Margot Schofield, Amaryll Perlesz, Marian Pitts, Andrew Bickerdike
HEALTH PROMOTION INTERNATIONAL | OXFORD UNIV PRESS | Published : 2016
Abstract
This article reports on a qualitative study of barriers and access to healthcare for same-sex attracted parents and their children. Focus groups were held with same-sex attracted parents to explore their experiences with healthcare providers and identify barriers and facilitators to access. Parents reported experiencing uncomfortable or anxiety-provoking encounters with healthcare workers who struggled to adopt inclusive or appropriate language to engage their family. Parents valued healthcare workers who were able to be open and honest and comfortably ask questions about their relationships and family. A separate set of focus groups were held with mainstream healthcare workers to identity t..
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Funding Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the service providers and same-sex parents who participated in the focus groups and the LGBT organisations that supported us to recruit for the parents' focus groups. For co-hosting the regional parents' focus group we would particularly like to thank GV Pride Shepparton. This study is funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant with financial support from VicHealth (the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation), Relationships Australia (National and Victoria) and ACON (formerly the AIDS Council of NSW) and in-kind support from Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria and the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities.